After a blip in my health this year, I got back on track with the help of my critique group to finish the manuscript for my children’s picture book. It is under review by my developmental editor, and Chelsa, will start her illustrations in January 2026. I have chosen IngramSpark, a publisher that distributes and prints books worldwide. I am excited that my international followers will have the ability to acquire the book. Look for the publication in late 2026 or early 2027.
This picture book aims to inspire children ages 8 to 11 with the remarkable true story of Dima, a wildlife guide in Botswana, whom the author met in 2022.
Book Summary: In the African country of Botswana, a young boy named Dima grows up dodging hippos and lives alongside elephants and snakes. His name means, “This boy will do great things”—and they’re right! With a love for animals, Dima follows his passion and inspires his whole village. Join him on an unforgettable journey of adventure, courage, and dreams that do come true!
Inspiring Children: Young readers will discover that saving the wild animals also saves his village.
I’d love to hear your comments below about writing, publishing, or traveling in Africa ……
Susan E. Greisen 
Part 2/ We continued our Ivory Coast trip to Bouake in the center of the country, eventually travelling south and reaching Abidjan via bus. As it was evening, we struggled to find adequate lodging. One “hotel” didn’t meet our standards and was quite “sketchy”. Then I suggested we bivouac on the lawn of a residence for the night, but my companion thought the police might arrest us as itinerant, which might not be so good. Eventually we located the Peace Corps office and encountered the night watchman. After convincing him we were Peace Corps Volunteers from Liberia, he let us crash in the warehouse portion of the facility. At least we were off the street, but had to put up with pesky mosquitos the rest of the evening. We made our connection with the Ministry of Forestry and were pledged Gmelina seed for our program in Liberia. On our return to Liberia, we came a good ways by bus, but then spent a night in a local village before crossing safely back into Liberia over the Cavalla River which is the border between Liberia and the Ivory Coast. Overall, the trip was quite an adventure.
Good luck with your book, Susan!
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Hello Randy, thank you so much for writing and following my blogs. Yes these times in Africa are full of rich stories. Thank you for sharing. As you said in your message, you didn’t have a map and you were “winging it” as they say. So many of us did back then. But as I advance into my senior years, I don’t mind having a guide like Dima. What a special treat to meet someone in a Faraway country, in a totally different culture who had experienced as a child, the same constraints than I did on the farm in Nebraska. Can’t wait to hold the children’s book when it’s finished. All the best to you and your family.
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Part 1/ While serving as a Peace Corps Volunteer forester in Liberia, travel took me to the adjacent country of the Cote de Ivoire (Ivory Coast), to request and arrange for shipment of Gmelina seed to Liberia from the Ivorian Ministry of Forestry in the capital city of Abidjan, in support of a reforestation project that myself and another Peace Corps forester and classmate were working on. After we met up for our trip, we traveled by money bus to Saniquellie in Nimba County and then easterly passed Karhnplay to the border. We crossed the Cavalla River on a raft into the Ivory Coast, passed thru customs, then connected with a Peace Corps couple in Dananae who were teachers where we spent the night as guests. This trip was a real adventure as we didn’t speak French (the Ivory Coast was a former French colony) and I don’t recall having a map either, so we were really “winging it” but also enjoying the travel. Our next stop was Man, where we found lodging in a French influenced hotel with exquisite restaurant, the likes of which we hadn’t seen in some time. From there, we traveled to the central region and the city of Bouake. The terrain between the towns was wooded savanna country inhabited mostly by cattle and their herders. This segment of the trip was more pleasant and comfortable as we rode in a Peugeot station wagon between Man and Bouake, the latter which reflected more Muslim influence with mosques and minarets.
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